Nina's Troubles
by ExceedinglyTrans
Summary: Nina can't get Coco out of her head, and she also can't figure out why. Is it mind control? Yeah, that's gotta be it.
1. Mind Control & A Clever Trap

That boring blonde hair. Those stupid saggy overalls. That outrageous orange fur. Bandicoots weren't supposed to be orange. Why orange? Did the Evolvo-Ray just assign random colors? Kangaroos definitely weren't supposed to be blue, either. Whatever... Stupid orange fur... It looked really soft, though. Like, if you rubbed your face against it... NO! Ugh!

Nina Cortex, "niece" to Dr. Neo Cortex, banged her head against the wall a few more times, a dull thud reverberating through her skull with each hit. The pain this action provided distracted her for a few moments - a few precious moments - from the horrific thoughts that plagued her. Thoughts of a certain annoying bandicoot with blonde hair.

It made _some_ sense - the bandicoot siblings were a constant thorn in NIna and her uncle's side. But the problem was that she wasn't thinking of the bandicoot _siblings_ all the time. She was specifically thinking of Coco, the sister of the pair, and her thoughts weren't in the realm of finally destroying the irritating marsupial. Instead, they were weird, not-murderous thoughts, like how soft the fuzzy beast's fur must be.

It just didn't make sense, and it was driving Nina crazy. It'd been not just days, but weeks, months even, of feeling this way. It didn't stop, it didn't make sense, and... oh! It could only mean one thing!

A look of delight spreading across her face, Nina pulled her sore head away from the wall and ran over to her work desk. Mind control, that had to be it! That devious furry fiend must have created some sort of mind control device, to throw Nina off her game! A clever scheme, but now that Nina had figured it out, it would soon be thwarted.

After hurriedly sketching a design, it took only a few hours for Nina to contruct a helmet that she was positive would block any mind-altering rays Coco might be directing her way. Standing tall in triumph, NIna flicked a switch on the back of the helmet and strapped it to her head. Now, surely, the thoughts would disappear.

They didn't.

Shrieking in rage, Nina tore the helmet off and smashed it into the ground. How was Coco doing this!? How could she defeat Nina's infallible helmet!?

Tired of the games, Nina realized there was only one way to deal with this situation. She'd have to kidnap Coco and torture her hated enemy into talking.

Once more Nina leaned over her work desk, pencil in hand, to begin sketching the sinister trap she'd set to catch her clever nemesis.

[][][][]

Coco growled in frustration as she was lifted straight up into the air, her right hand caught in a loop of rope. Nearby, Nina laughed and clapped her metallic hands together in glee, carrying on a good while despite a snort or two.

"I should've known it was a trap... but it was just lying there..." Coco said, pouting and glaring at the same time. Her eyes moved back and forth between the laughing and snorting Nina, and the flash drive she'd dropped to the ground nearby in surprise. "I could _really_ use another one..."

"I knew that'd be enough to trick you, you predictable tech-head." Nina said, drumming her metal fingers together maniacally. "And now that I've captured you, you'd better tell me how you're mind controlling me, or I'll torture the info out of you!"

There was silence, as Coco's expression moved from surprised, to briefly pensive, to utterly confused. "Mind control? What're you-?"

Jabbing a cold metal digit into Coco's cheek, Nina scowled and yelled, "Don't play dumb with me, bandicoot! I know you're behind these awful thoughts I keep having, and I'm _sick_ of it!"

"Thoughts? I don't-"

Balling her hand into a fist, Nina shook with barely-contained rage. "Like this morning, when I couldn't stop thinking of your stupid soft fur! Why are you making me think of _that_? I mean I know why, you're trying to throw me off balance, but I'm not letting you win!" She jabbed her finger back into Coco's cheek, moving her face close, her eyes narrowed. "Tell me how you're doing it so I can put a stop to it!"

Coco's expression was one of surprise again for a brief moment, before turning into an amused smile. It made Nina's blood boil.

"So you're thinking of me, are you?"

Throwing her hands up into the air, NIna screamed. "Fine, so you're gonna be _difficult_! I can play hardball too."

Swiveling around, Nina started sifting through a bag on the ground nearby. Several sharp, scary-looking objects were inside, of various sizes and configurations. But which to pick? The spiky one seemed pretty fun. But there was this cool twisty bladed one she really liked.

There was a sudden, unexpected feeling of something wrapping around her arm. Nina turned her head, shocked to see Coco standing right there, holding the rope she was supposed to be tied up with.

"Wait - but - how did you-?"

Grinning, Coco poked Nina's nose and laughed. "It's not that hard to untie a rope, you know. And you turned your back on me. A real rookie mistake." Twanging the rope with one finger, her grin spread just a little bit wider. "Buh-bye!"

As soon as Coco released her grip, Nina rocketed backward and up. She bounced back and forth like a yoyo for a good minute, but even once the bouncing had stopped, she still flopped around like a fish out of water as she tried to escape.

It took a good five minutes before she was able to touch solid ground again; her big square fingers weren't exactly meant for finesse work. The whole time she'd struggled, though, there were only two thoughts on her mind: Coco was insufferable, and Coco's finger was soft.


	2. Uncles, Lists, and Letters

_So maybe it wasn't mind control. But then what the heck is it? Nina's going to need some help with this one._

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

After some intense reflection, Nina had come to the conclusion that her problem _might_ not actually be mind control. But eliminating a possibility for the cause still did little to uncover a cure. She was starting to wonder if maybe she had some sort of disease. And as brilliant as she was, she was no Doctor.

Thus, with reluctance, Nina was forced to ask for help.

"Hey, Uncle. You gotta moment?" she said, approaching Cortex from behind. He was hunched over his work desk, busily drawing up his next evil scheme, but then, he was always doing that.

After a brief moment, Cortex swiveled around in his chair and glared at her. "I'm busy planning for world domination, Nina."

"You're always busy with that."

Reaching toward the sky dramatically, he cried, "But I'm close to a breakthrough!"

"You're _always_ close to one."

Sighing, and running a gloved hand down his face, Cortex said, "What do you want?"

Squirming a bit in discomfort, Nina said, "Well, um… okay, so, there's this girl. I'm supposed to hate her, but I can't get her out of my head." She sighed, took a deep breath, and continued, "I'm having these weird, sappy thoughts about her hair and, like, wanting to touch her and stuff. I thought it was mind control, but I've ruled that out, and-"

Rolling his eyes, Cortex interrupted with, "Dear, you're gay."

An awkward silence pervaded the room for one eternally long moment, as both Cortexes stared at each other, one clearly bored and the other clearly confused.

Finally, Nina spoke. "...I know _that_. But it's _Coco_! I can't feel that way about my mortal enemy!"

With a shrug, palms up, Cortex replied, "The heart does what the heart wants." A dark look overcame his face, one hand balling into a fist, as his stare drifted to some indistinct point to the left of Nina. "I know _that_ all too well."

Stamping her foot, Nina yelled, "But I _hate_ her! I don't _like_ her! It's _gotta_ be something else!"

Chuckling, Cortex said, "No, no, that's definitely it. Your reaction only makes it clearer." He paused, then laughed again. "Maybe you can turn that brat evil and we'll have one less obstacle in our path to world domination!"

Nina looked like she was about to explode. Through gritted teeth, she forced out the words, "I don't think you're taking this seriously."

"It's hard to take a child's crush seriously compared to, say, evil plots to rule the world. Which I'd like to get back to, I might add."

Throwing her hands up, Nina shouted at the ceiling, "Ugh, Dad, you're impossible!"

Apparently gripped with a sudden, violent panic, Cortex shot up in his seat and looked wildly about the room.

Nina rolled her eyes, arms crossed. "No one else is around, you big baby!" Then she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room.

[][][][]

This whole thing was ridiculous. There was just no way he could be right. And to prove that, Nina decided she'd make a list of all the things she hated about the obnoxious blonde bandicoot. It was as follows:

I hate that she keeps getting in the way of my evil plans.

I hate what a goody-two-shoes she is.

I hate that stupid flower in her stupid, perfectly-combed blonde hair.

I hate those adorable blue overalls she always wears.

I hate how smart she thinks she is.

I hate how smart she actually is.

I hate the pretty sound of her laugh.

I hate her cute little nose.

I hate how soft her fur is and how much I want to touch it.

…Crap.

Staring at her list in horror, realization finally struck Nina square in the face. He was right. She wasn't just crushing on Coco, she was crushing on Coco _hard_.

Ripping her list to shreds, Nina screamed at the sky, then paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. Well, if this was how it was, she would have to own it. She wasn't going to let it get the best of her anymore. If she really did like Coco, she was going to _do_ something about it, dammit!

And thus Nina started writing letters. They were short, usually just a sentence or two. She'd write them, look them over maybe once, then seal them in an envelope and mail them directly to Coco. They contained such gems as:

For a scientifically evolved marsupial, you're pretty smart!

Unlike your mangy brother, you keep your fur surprisingly clean. It only smells a little bit!

Those overalls that you wear every single day (seriously do you not have any other clothes?) actually look pretty good on you.

The brilliant and powerful Nina Cortex **demands** that you meet her in Wumpa Town at 12:30pm this Friday!

She didn't receive any response until two days after she sent that last one. It read: "Change that "demand" to a "request", the "12:30" to a "1:00", and the "Friday" to "Saturday", and you've got a date. Also, my number is xxx-xxx-xxxx. The letters are adorable, but you can just text me next time. If you're worried about typos, 'cause of your fingers, don't be, I don't mind."

The visibly shaking, almost overwhelmingly excited Nina couldn't respond fast enough. Her big metal fingers slowed her down, but for once, she didn't feel quite so bad about it.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Gonna be at least one more, for their date, of course! :3


	3. The Date

I've drifted away from Crash Bandicoot, but I felt bad leaving this story without its proper ending. So here you go!

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Sitting on a bench in a dress, waiting around for someone, was proving to be one of the most uncomfortable things Nina had ever had to do. Every time someone glanced her way, or even passed by, Nina felt like they were judging the scrawny, buck-toothed goth kid with giant metal hands sitting all by her lonesome. She hadn't felt so exposed and vulnerable since she escaped the Academy of Evil.

What made it worse was that it was now five past 1. Coco was late. Nina really wished she hadn't forgotten her phone back at home; Coco might have warned she'd be late, or maybe she'd had to cancel. Maybe she was never intending to come, and this was all a mean joke. But that probably wasn't it… Coco was too nice for that. Except Nina _did_ self-profess to be evil, and they were archenemies, so Coco might make an exception…

"Hey, sorry I'm late!" a beautiful voice called out, prompting Nina to jerk her head in its direction. Coco was jogging toward her, wearing… the same clothes she always did. Should Nina not have dressed up? She looked like an idiot, didn't she…

A little embarrassed, Coco came to a stop a few feet from Nina and said, "Sorry, I'm usually early to things, but Crash got his hand stuck in a pickle jar, and Aku wasn't around to help, so... " She smiled, gesturing at Nina. "Cute dress, by the way."

Nina was now very happy with her choice in clothes.

"I-it's fine, just glad you came," Nina said with a shaky smile, getting to her feet. "What… did you… wanna do?" The pitch of her voice rose with every other word, and her eyes darted this way and that. It sure felt hot out here.

A furry hand clasped Nina's shoulder. "Nina. You okay? You're not sick, are you?"

All Nina seemed capable of for the moment was staring at the hand upon her and stammering. "I - I - I -"

Smiling and shaking her head a little, Coco removed her hand. "I'm hungry. You wanna go eat somewhere?"

Nina nodded furiously.

"Great! Follow me."

[]

It didn't take too long for for the pair to find a small restaurant and get seated. When the waitress arrived and asked about drinks, Nina stuttered "same" after Coco requested some lemonade. When it came time to order food, Nina shouted her order with wide, terrified eyes.

Once the waitress left, Coco spoke. "Nina. You've gotta calm down. I know this is your first date-"

Looking slightly miffed, Nina said, "It - it's not my first!"

"Kindergarten doesn't count."

Nina opened her mouth to respond, then closed it.

"But Nina, look. It's still me, Coco. A few days ago you tied me up and planned to 'torture information' out of me."

Finding it hard to make eye contact, Nina mumbled, "I wouldn't have… really hurt you…"

With a smirk and a roll of her eyes, Coco said, "Hah, I know. Even if you'd actually wanted to, I wouldn't have let you. But my point is, there's no reason to be so nervous, even if we're on a date."

Frowning for a bit, Nina eventually forced herself to look at Coco, who smiled warmly at her. It was easy to _say_ 'don't be nervous', but much harder for Nina to actually stifle the feeling.

"But you… you don't understand!"

"Understand what?"

Gritting her teeth and clenching her fingers, Nina said, "You're so… so… cute! And I'm…" She grimaced. "Looks aren't my strongest asset, to put it mildly."

Coco raised an eyebrow. "What'cha mean?"

How… how was it not obvious? "Like, I mean, I'm a toothpick, first off."

"So?"

Nina paused, mouth opening and closing for a moment. "I, um… but, my teeth-"

"Very cute."

Was this what dying felt like? Nina was pretty sure she was dying. It was so hot in here, how could anyone stand it? Also her heart might have stopped.

"I - you - but -" Scowling, she slammed her metal fists into the table, prompting a few surprised looks thrown their way. "My _hands_ , though!"

Reaching across the table and pressing her small, furry hands against Nina's giant, metal ones, Coco smiled. "I know you might not like them, but they make you no less beautiful. It's hard for me to even imagine you without them. They're just… a part of you. Part of what makes you who you are. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Nina stared at Coco's hands, glared at them, trying to process her complicated emotions. She wished she could feel those soft hands. She wished she were just 'normal.' But then… maybe 'abnormal' was okay, too? Coco seemed to think so. And if she did, maybe other people did too? And maybe… maybe even Nina could learn to stop hating them. For the first time, she felt like that might be something she wanted to try.

"You okay?" Coco asked again, head tilted to the side a bit.

Looking up at her with tears swimming in her eyes, sniffling dramatically, Nina said, "YES!"

She excused herself to the restroom right after, returning once she'd composed herself. The rest of their date proved to be much less emotionally exhausting, and gradually, Nina let herself just… be herself. She laughed and didn't care when she snorted. She messily ate her food with her giant, clumsy hands. She told terrible, niche nerd jokes that Coco didn't get half the time but still chuckled at. For a little while, she just let the rest of the world fade away, so that it was only her and Coco, laughing and eating together, having a wonderful afternoon.

Eventually, it was time to go, and they left the restaurant, coming to a stop near the bench where the date had begun.

"This was really fun, Nina." Coco said, smiling. "You're pretty cool to be around when you're not trying to take over the world."

Smirking, Nina said, "You're not too bad either, Coco, when you're not thwarting my plans." Looking away for a moment, Nina considered whether she should ask what she desperately wanted to ask. "Hey, uh… do you want to, maybe, do this again sometime?"

Coco jutted her lip out, thinking about it. "Hm… I dunno. I think… only under one condition."

Attempting to not look too eager and failing miserably, Nina said, "What?"

Leaning down and forward, getting her face heart-stoppingly close to Nina's, Coco said, "Only if you end this date with a kiss, and promise to do the same for the next one."

Nina's brain overloaded. "Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-"

Soft lips pressed against Nina's, cutting off her stuttering. Sparks went off in her head as she melted against Coco, barely managing to stay on her feet. When Coco pulled away, it was all too soon, and Nina barely resisted the urge to beg for another.

"See you later!" Coco said, beaming, as she skipped away. Nina watched as she disappeared over a hill, dumbfounded. It was a full minute before she managed to get herself moving toward home.

Coco was great. Why had she hated her before? Oh, right, the 'ruining her evil plans' thing. But that seemed so unimportant now. So trivial. Those plans were doomed to fail anyway, it wasn't as though Nina's heart was ever really in them. But it's what "Uncle Cortex" wanted, so it's what Nina had done, and almost managed to convince herself that she enjoyed.

But maybe… maybe she didn't have to do that anymore. Maybe she could let herself be who she actually wanted to be, instead of who _Cortex_ wanted her to be.

It was something to think about, anyway. Nina had a lot of things to think about now, and she actually loved that fact.

But the fact she loved the most, the one she kept laughing and snorting about, grinning from ear to ear, was this:

Nina was gay for her archenemy, and she couldn't be happier about it.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

There it is, The End! I hope you enjoyed this bit of fluff, I know I did!


End file.
